The University of Arizona is a public, land-grant research university located in Tucson, Arizona. It was founded in 1885 and was the first university to be established in Arizona. The University of Arizona is classified as a R1: doctoral university, which means it has a very high research activity. It comprises 19 colleges/schools and the students are known as Wildcats.
The purpose of the University of Arizona is to “work together to expand human potential, explore new horizons and enrich life for all people.”. The university aims to fulfill this purpose by improving their methods of education and innovation in order to blaze the trail of problem-solving.
The University of Arizona thrives on six core values. These are:
- Integrity: being just, honest and respectful
- Compassion: making the choice to care about others
- Exploration: developing and harnessing the spirit of curiosity
- Adaptation: being open-minded and willing to embrace the next best thing
- Inclusion: finding strength in diversity and embracing everyone
- Determination: being willing to persevere and do whatever it takes to make it
These are pretty good values everyone should adopt and exhibit, if you ask me. I’ll also say the school has won my heart with this one.
Every student begins to prepare for university during their high school days. They decide on a course to study, ensure they take the classes required for their dream course, study hard and have good grades to guarantee their entry into the university of their choice.
One important thing most students look for is the alignment of their values with the values of the school. No matter how good the education in a school is, if the school does not share the same values as its students, the students will feel frustrated and struggle to learn.
Every university attracts both local and international students. International students take their time to study at a school before they apply. They look at the program offered, the quality of education in the school, the alignment of their core values and, very importantly, the cost of tuition.
Tuition is an item that must be properly taken care of by an international student before committing to education overseas. This is because these students would be away from their home, the family they’ve known and a system they are familiar with and they would need no further distress in the way of sourcing tuition fees far from home.
For this reason, every international student, aside from fulfilling the admission requirement, must show proof of funding before being granted a study visa to the education country. However, there are some international students who may meet the requirements but do not have adequate means of funding their education. In order not to lose these bright minds, most universities offer a form of financial aid to the students.
This article examines the scholarship opportunities available for international students by answering the question, Does the University of Arizona give scholarships to international students?
This question is important because it is common to consider local students over international students for scholarships since the local students are more likely to contribute to the advancement of their home nation upon completing their studies, unlike their international counterparts.
I think the better question should be, “Why bother with international student scholarships?” and I think the simple answer would be “exposure.”.
What Is Financial Aid?
Financial aid refers to the money given to students to help pay for their university education. This money could be given by the United States federal government, the state government, the university applied to, or a private or non-profit organization.
Usually, this money covers tuition and other expenses like books, housing, supplies and transport, but not all financial aid covers all these areas.
Types Of Financial Aid
There are three major types of financial aid: loans, grants and scholarships and work-study programs.
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Loans
Loans are a type of financial aid given with the aim of being returned. That is to say, loans are money borrowed from the federal or state government and lent to the students, which must be paid with interest by the student upon completion of school.
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Grants and scholarships
Grants and scholarships are a type of financial aid given freely to students to cater for their education. It won’t be repaid, as it is a gift. It can be granted by the federal or state government, private or non-profit organizations, public companies, individuals or religious organizations.
Grants are given based on needs, while scholarships are given based on identity and/or grades.
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Work-study
Work-study is a type of financial aid that gives students the opportunity to cater for themselves during their education by working part-time while studying. It is usually offered by the host country or a university.
As with other universities, the University of Arizona offers scholarships to international students who are unable to begin and complete school on their own.
Scholarships Available To International Students At University of Arizona
Does the University of Arizona give scholarships to international students? Yes, the University of Arizona only offers merit-based scholarships to international students applying for either undergraduate or graduate programs. Merit-based scholarships imply that students must have performed excellently in their previous high school or degree program to be considered for the award. .
Undergraduate Scholarship Award at the University of Arizona
1. Global Wildcat First-Year Tuition Award
The Global Wildcat First-Year Tuition Award is a partially-funded scholarship offered to international students.
The scholarship amount is between $5,000 and $23,000 and is based on the student’s grade point average (GPA) calculated upon converting to the US GPA system. The range is given below:
- 4.00 GPA = $23,000
- 3.75 – 3.99 GPA = $19,000
- 3.50 – 3.74 GPA = $13,000
- 3,25 – 3.49 GPA = $8,000
- 3.00 – 3.74 GPA = $5,000
This means the amount of money a student gets is based on the student’s GPA, so study hard!
Criteria for the Global Wildcat First-Year Tuition Award
- Available for undergraduate international students only.
- Awarded based on outstanding academic records and test scores (TOEFL, IELTS and PTE Academic) from the admissions application.
- There is no separate application for a scholarship. Recipients would be selected from the admissions application.
- Scholarships can be renewed every year of study, provided students meet the academic criteria.
2. Global Wildcat Tuition Transfer Award
The Global Wildcat Tuition Transfer Award is a partially-funded scholarship awarded to international transfer students who are pursuing their first bachelor’s degree. This means only students who attended a community college are eligible for this award. The scholarship amount is between $2,000 and $15,000 per academic year and is based on the student’s grade point average (GPA) calculated upon converting to the US GPA system. The range is given below:
- 4.00 GPA = $15,000
- 3.75 – 3.99 GPA = $10,000
- 3.50 – 3.74 GPA = $7,000
- 3,25 – 3.49 GPA = $4,000
- 3.00 – 3.74 GPA = $2,000
Criteria for the Global Wildcat Tuition Transfer Award
- Available for undergraduate international transfer students who attended community colleges.
- Students must have a minimum of 3.00 GPA
- There is no separate application for a scholarship. Recipients would be selected from the admissions application.
- Scholarships can be renewed every year of study, provided students meet the academic criteria.
Graduate Scholarship Award at the University of Arizona
1. Graduate College Fellowship
The Graduate College allocates funding for Graduate College Fellowship as cash awards to academic college deans. This funding is to recruit and retain top international or domestic graduate students. The minimum amount is $1,000 per semester for master’s students and $2,500 per semester for doctoral students.
Criteria for the Graduate College Fellowship
- Students must be admitted to a graduate degree-granting academic unit at the University of Arizona
- Students must be In good academic standing
- Students must have an admitting or cumulative graduate GPA of 3.0 or higher.
2. University Fellows Program
This is offered by the Graduate College Graduate Center and is based on nomination. A fellowship is offered to the highest-ranked incoming doctoral and master’s student in the selected master’s degree program at the University of Arizona.
Recipients receive a financial package, access to mentoring and community engagement opportunities, and professional development programming. It is a fully-funded scholarship award. The scholarship amount is $37,000 in 3 installments, plus health insurance in year 1, full tuition coverage from year 2 to year 5 and a graduate assistantship position
Criteria for the University Fellows Program
- Incoming international students enrolled full-time (at least 9 credits) at the University of Arizona
- Incoming international students with outstanding undergraduate/master’s records
- Incoming international students residing on campus within the Tucson metropolitan area during their first year
- Students must not be enrolled in a professional degree
- Students interested in interdisciplinary exchange, collaboration, mentoring, leadership, and engaging with multiple communities
This article sets out to answer the question: ‘Does the University of Arizona give scholarships to international students?’ Having seen the various scholarship options for both undergraduate and graduate education for international students, you don’t have to worry anymore, especially if you meet the criteria for the award.
